Korean War Veteran, Ken Talking with community about his experiences and the artwork created by Akemi Ohira from his story. Photo by Selina Slaughter

EVAC (Experiencing Veterans and Artists Collaborations) brings together veterans and artists. Veterans from all branches of the military, with service during WWII through Iraq/Afghanistan, were interviewed about their experiences. These veterans and their stories were paired with artists who are making an edition of prints based on their interpretation of what they heard. Excerpts from the interviews will be displayed with the art.

Mental health providers are losing the battle with helping veterans because veterans feel isolated and don’t want to ask for help. Veterans are committing suicide at a rate of 20 per day. The Iraq and Afghanistan veteran suicide rate is the second-highest since WW I. Studies show veterans sharing their stories is critical to PTSD recovery. With EVAC, veterans have an opportunity to share their stories one time, and to have that story impact many more people.

EVAC is about the art of interpretation. Veterans tell their life experiences as a series of stories and responses to prompt questions. Artists distill interviews from 30 minutes to 4 hours to a single image. Viewers see the image and excerpts from the interviews side by side. Through this process of interpretation EVAC works to combat the isolation common to veterans and bridge the gap between the military and civilian life.

This project has received support from the following:

Cleveland VA Medical Center

Ohio Veterans Home

Ohio Department of Veteran Affairs

VFW--National

American Legion --National

Congressman Jordan (Ohio)

Senator Brown (Ohio)

Senator Portman (Ohio)

SVA -Student Veterans of America

IAVA Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

The Project

Artists visual interpret stories told by veterans.

Professional artists from all over the US and Denmark

Artists are represented by 14 galleries, with work in 168 collections, in 40 states in the US and 12 countries

Artists produce an edition of 10 prints

1 to the veteran, 2 for exhibitions, 7 to be auctioned to benefit a charity of the veteran's choice

Veterans from all military branches, from WW/1 to Iraq/Afghanistan

The Need

Veterans suicide at a rate of 20/day

Surpassed the civilian suicide rate in 2008

Studies show veterans sharing their stories is critical to PTSD recovery

Give veterans a voice, combat isolation, help with transition

EVAC will work with the Cleveland VA on a longitudinal study of EVAC

Exhibitions

October-November 2017 Diane Kidd Gallery, Tiffin University

April 2018 Army Transportation Museum, Fort Eustis, VA (tentative)

Targeting regions with large numbers of veterans’ age 17-44, including: